plishment, and may, to a sinner whose conscience is alive to his state, seem impossible; and yet it can be done-yea, it must be done, and is done in the case of every man who is brought home to God, for every such soul is fully justified. God regards His children as the just. When He pronounces their pardon He makes them clean; for the blood of Christ, when applied to any offender, has so wonderful an efficacy, that though his sins were as scarlet they become white as snow ;though they were red like crimson they are as wool. (Is. i. 18.)

Then, if Christ has given Himself for thy justification, and there is none other name under heaven by which thou canst be saved, seek, O sinner, with all thy powers, to find an interest in this Saviour. He invites us all to partake of the benefits which He has purchased. "Ho, every one," says He, "that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money' no goodness-no offering-" come buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk”—all spiritual blessings—“ without money and without price." (Is. lv. 1.) "Come unto

me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," (Matt. xi. 28.) And the promises made in these kind invitations, He can and will fulfil, for He was "delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Rom. iv. 25.) The price of our redemption is paid, and now God can "be just, and the justifier of him which believeth." (Rom. iii. 26.) Without violating the principle of justice, God can

now pardon all our sins, because our Head and Substitute has obeyed the law, died, and made Himself a curse for us. By Christ's death our penalty is paid, justice is satisfied with the payment, and the way is opened for the free exercise of Divine mercy, in the justification and salvation of every sinner. Thus, not by our own merits, but by the merits of Christ, our justification is obtained; therefore it behoves us to say, "Not unto us, O Lord! not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake." (Ps. cxv. 1.)

CHAPTER XXI.

THE PROCURING CAUSE OF JUSTIFICATION IS FAITH

IN OUR COVENANT REDEEMER.

"O Lord and heavenly Father! grant that by the merits and death of Thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in His blood, we, and all Thy whole Church, may obtain remission of our sins, and al other benefits of His passion." Communion.

Ir was remarked in the preceding chapter that there are two causes of justification-a meritorious and a procuring cause. We saw that the merit of this grace belongs not to the justified, but to Christ the Justifier, who died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God; and by this, His obedience unto death, He has purchased our redemption.

Having considered this part of the subject, I now proceed to examine the nature of faith, as the procuring cause of justification.

The terms meritorious and procuring are not, indeed, to be found in the scriptures; but we may, nevertheless, employ them to express ideas which are, manifestly, conveyed to us in God's word. We see, there, that justification is ascribed both to the work of

Christ and to faith; but these cannot be alike meritorious, for nothing that man can do could procure favour from God. We, therefore, give to Christ all the merit of our salvation, and put faith in a lower position; for though it is spoken of as a cause of justification, we can only assign to it the place of an instrument by which we are enabled to receive the blessed truth that Christ died for our sins, and rose again for our justification.

Now, in order to understand the subject, we must recall to mind what was previously said of our covenant relationship to God.

Before the foundations of the world were laid, the Father entered into a covenant of redemption with His Son. This was, between these high contracting parties, a conditional covenant; for the Father promised His Son a people, and gave to Him, at that moment, all who are His. Able to foresee every event through all eternity, the Father beheld His spiritual family; and these He bestowed upon His Son to be redeemed, eternally blessed, and made His own for ever.

On the other part, Christ promised to die for these people, that God might be just in their punishment through Him, and so justify the sinner who should believe in Him. Thus was this made a conditional covenant between God the Father and God the Son; but as far as man is concerned in this covenant, it was absolute. God gave His people to Christ without any

agreement made with them. They were not consulted, or required to enter into any terms, but were absolutely given up to Christ, to be His for ever; hence He says, "Thine they were, and Thou gavest them me" (John xvii. 6); “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me." (John vi. 37.)

But there is a distinct covenant which God has made with His people in the Gospel; and this is a conditional covenant, because the promises in it are offered on the condition of faith, and no man can receive the blessings of the absolute covenant who has not fulfilled this condition of the Gospel covenant.

That this is a scriptural view of the subject will be seen by the declarations of Christ, who said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark xvi. 16.) "This is the work of God that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent," (John vi. 29.) "If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." (John viii. 24.)

Now here is a condition of salvation proposed. The child of God must be a believer, or he can have no right to any of the Gospel promises. This condition must be fulfilled by every one who desires to participate in the benefits procured for God's elect children by Christ, and until it is fulfilled we have no reason to suppose that we are a part of Christ's purchased possession.

But, though faith is made a condition of salvation which must be performed by every child of God, it is